PETALING JAYA, Feb 4 — A Penang hotel manager and his staff have set up a roadside food stall to make ends meet during the movement control order (MCO).

Red Rock Hotel manager Jeffrey Lim said he had to find ways for the hotel to generate income after the Covid-19 pandemic devastated the tourism industry, based on a Bernama report on Tuesday.

A video of Lim holding up a placard reading “RM3 only” while shouting “Tiga ringgit, tiga ringgit (Three ringgit, three ringgit)” by the roadside has gone viral on Twitter with over 13,000 retweets and 15,000 likes.

With the rooms and hallways devoid of guests, Lim got his staff to sell food outside the hotel hawker-style so that they can stay afloat during this tough period.

He added that the team had to be self-reliant as there was not enough support being given to the hotel industry from the government at the moment.

Some of the dishes currently sold by the Red Rock Hotel chefs include tomyam meehoon, fried rice, and chicken rice.

“We will change the menu every week. All (of them cost) RM3,” said Lim.

The response to Red Rock Hotel’s roadside stall has been positive and the staff managed to sell 150 packs of food from 7am to 10am on Tuesday.

Other Penang hotels have also set up similar initiatives on their premises to attract hungry customers.

Malay Mail reported that Cititel Penang, Golden Sands Resort and Jen Hotel Penang are just some of the hotels cooking up local favourites outside their doors to keep their businesses alive during the MCO.